


Maybe

by sparklepox (travelingpsycho)



Category: EXO (Band), Super Junior
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 20:49:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1831795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/travelingpsycho/pseuds/sparklepox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The powers that be decide to take Heechul's talk of wanting to be on <i>We Got Married</i> with Minseok seriously.  Heechul is amused, Minseok is embarrassed, and Lu Han is confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe

Minseok is pretty sure it's a prank when the manager first tells him about it, with hidden cameras lurking somewhere to catch his disbelieving reaction to be mocked later.

"I'm sorry?" he says after too long a pause when no one jumps out to say, "Haha, just kidding!"

At least the manager telling him has the grace to look sympathetic. "You heard right," he says. "You're going to be on _We Got Married_ with Kim Heechul."

"But..." He tries to think where to start with possible objections. For one, he doesn't understand why he, out of all of EXO, has been picked for this, when surely the fans would rather see one of the more popular members. Sure, Heechul did mention him, but that didn't mean they had no other choices. For another, while he understands fanservice very well, there's a big difference between cuddling up to another guy on stage and getting married to one, even if it's entirely fake. He's not sure Korea is progressive enough for that. Also, Heechul is at a very different level in the company hierarchy, seven years his senior, and, most importantly, _crazy._

"I know it's a little...unconventional," the manager says. He seems amused now, the jerk. Then he adds, a little apologetically, "It's decided, so you might as well get used to the idea. Trust that we won't let it get out of hand." Then he smiles a little too widely for Minseok's to appreciate. "You start filming in two weeks, so be ready."

 

When he tells the rest of EXO that night, the reactions range from hysterical laughter (Chanyeol, Jongdae) to slightly more restrained but still way too amused laughter (Baekhyun, Jongin) to slightly-sympathetic amusement (Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, Zitao) to confused and/or apathetic stares (Yixing, Sehun) to artfully-raised eyebrows (Kris) to disbelieving spluttering (Lu Han). The last one catches his attention, but then he's distracted by Chanyeol leaning against him hard enough to almost knock him over and laughing loudly in his ear, and by the time he looks up again, Lu Han's expression has evened out into something he can't quite read.

There's too much going on to focus on that anyway, as Chanyeol says, "Be careful, hyung. Kim Heechul is...something else," and Junmyeon pats him sympathetically on the shoulder and offers a dry, "Good luck."

"Thanks, I feel so much better," Minseok mutters.

It's Kris who asks him later, when the mocking has died down, "Are you cool with this? It's going to be more than just a little skinship, and even if it's fake, some people take it pretty seriously."

Minseok shrugs. "Hopefully management knows what they're doing. I don't really have a choice." And I don't mind the idea of marrying a guy that much, he doesn't add. There's no need to complicate the situation with confessions like that when it's not even real this time.

"I guess so," Kris agrees, a little skeptically. Then, "I hope you know that you're going to get teased about this for years to come."

"Don't remind me," he grumbles as Kris chuckles at his misfortune.

 

They have one meeting before filming starts, to plan out their "relationship," and so that they can actually be introduced before being thrown into fake dating. Minseok greets Heechul politely and gets a perfunctory greeting in return before they sit down to talk with two managers and various other staff.

"You don't really need any gimmick beyond the obvious," the manager who came with Heechul tells them, "but we at least would like some sort of imagined backstory for your relationship, to explain how you two got together."

Heechul looks over at Minseok and shrugs. "I kept hearing his name and decided I wanted to meet him myself. Turned out we got along, and..." He uses a wave of his hand to encompass getting together and deciding to get married.

"That sounds good," the manager says. He doesn't ask what Minseok thinks, but it's as good as anything he could come up with. Cheesy romantic fantasies aren't really his thing. "Now, I'm sure you're aware that a relationship like this would in reality be quite controversial, but we've decided to ignore that and present it like any normal relationship. That may change depending on the viewer response, but for now, that's our strategy. Any questions?"

They both shake their heads. "Good," the manager says. "We have some other things to discuss, so I'll leave you two to get to know each other."

Once they're alone, Heechul turns to him and offers a wry, "Sorry I got you into this. I didn't think anyone would take me seriously."

"I guess it was time for a new twist," Minseok says, a little awkwardly. If it were an EXO member or one of the SM seniors he knows well, he'd make a joke, but Heechul is pretty much a stranger, and his reputation precedes him.

Heechul studies him for a long moment, and Minseok tries not to squirm. When Heechul speaks, after all that, he just asks, "What's your real name again? You're not actually Chinese."

_No shit,_ Minseok thinks, thinking about his terrible Mandarin. "Kim Minseok."

"Minseok," Heechul repeats. "I'll have to remember that. You can call me 'hyung,' I guess. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," Minseok tells him."

"Huh." He doesn't know how to interpret that response. It's strange, feeling so young. With EXO, he's gotten used to being the oldest, with both the responsibility and the occasional benefits it entails, but Heechul is older than him by significantly more than the four years Minseok has on Sehun. But if Heechul's reputation is to be believed, he's not really the kind big brother type, so Minseok's not going to expect much from him.

"You don't seem very girly," Heechul comments into the silence. Again, Minseok doesn't know how to take that. He's gotten told he looks like a girl enough times, but he doesn't act like one. "That's good," Heechul adds. "We can show Korea that two pretty boys can have a manly relationship."

"Yes," Minseok politely agrees even though he thinks it's a strange thing to say, and Heechul laughs.

"Relax," he says. "I'm not as scary as everyone claims." Then, after a beat, "Usually." _That makes me feel better,_ Minseok thinks. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together," Heechul continues, "so we'd better get used to each other."

"Of course," Minseok agrees, unconsciously using the same polite tone, and now Heechul rolls his eyes.

"Give me a break. You're not going to get freaked out because this is too gay, are you?"

Minseok thinks about Lu Han clinging to him and about cuddling with Zitao and any number of other big and small gestures and almost laughs. "No, I don't mind," he says.

"Good," Heechul says firmly, "because if we're going to do this, we're not going to half ass it."

He's got a gleam in his eyes, and Minseok can't help wondering if their managers really will be able to keep this under control.

 

Most of the EXO members are out when he gets back to the dorm, for work or fun, but Lu Han and Yixing are watching a movie while Jongin sleeps at the other end of the couch. Minseok squeezes into the small space between Jongin's feet and Lu Han, trying to figure out what the movie is. "How'd it go?" Yixing asks him.

"Okay," he says. "We just talked. Nothing weird yet."

"Is it going to get weird?" Minseok thinks he's teasing, but it's hard to tell with Yixing sometimes.

"Probably," Minseok says wryly. "For a lot of reasons."

"On the plus side, by the time this is over, everyone in Korea will know your name," Yixing says. "Even if they think weird things about you."

Lu Han stays strangely quiet, and even though they're sitting close together, he's not leaning into Minseok like he normally would. Minseok turns to look at him, and when Lu Han doesn't react, he pokes him in the shoulder. "What's up with you?" he asks.

He catches the glance Lu Han shoots Yixing and wonders what they've been talking about. Lu Han seems hesitant to speak, but finally he says, "Are you...are you sure this is a good idea? Yeah, everyone will be talking about you, but it might not be for good reasons."

"So I'm supposed to say no?" Minseok asks. They all know that's not really an option, and in any case, he's not likely to get such a golden opportunity to get people to notice him again.

"You could try," Lu Han retorts.

Before Minseok can snap something back at him, Yixing jumps in to say, "It'll be fine. I'm sure everyone knows it's not real. Right?"

"Right," Minseok says firmly.

He's not sure if he imagines the slight pause before Lu Han echoes, "Right."

 

The first episode they film is them going on a date, but it's not, they're told, supposed to be too much like a first date, so make it look comfortable. That's a tall order because Minseok's not the type to immediately be comfortable with people and it doesn't seem like Heechul is either, but with luck they'll be able to fake it well enough. It's a little stiff at first, especially since Minseok's not used to being on camera without quite a few more people around him, but Heechul's more relaxed, making conversation and cracking jokes until they're both laughing.

In the end, Minseok's surprised to find he has fun. It's all very gimmicky and forced, but Heechul refuses to take it too seriously and so Minseok doesn't either. If he's going to get paid to walk around Seoul and eat at a nice restaurant, he might as well enjoy it (especially since no one says a word about his diet as Heechul insists on ordering dessert). And it's nice, maybe, to have some space to remember who he is without EXO.

They have Heechul drop him off at EXO's dorm, thankfully not coming inside (though he has no doubt the other members will get involved eventually). "Thanks," Minseok says, trying not to sound as awkward as he feels with the cameras staring him down. "I had fun."

"Me too," Heechul says, and Minseok wishes he knew if it was true or not. "Let's hang out again soon."

If this were a real date, now would be the time for a goodbye kiss, but that's definitely not happening, and no one's said what should happen instead, so Minseok finds himself standing there uncertainly until Heechul rolls his eyes and gives him a quick hug. It's nothing, briefer even than most of the congratulatory hugs he's gotten when EXO won on music shows, but it seems to be enough. The cameras stop rolling and Heechul waves him off with a "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Minseok says and heads inside, relieved that the cameras don't follow him for the inevitable inquisition.

Sure enough, before the door even closes behind him, Chanyeol asks, "So, how was your date?" with a totally unnecessary wink.

"Amazing," he says with all the sarcasm he can muster. "You should be jealous."

Chanyeol looks confused at that, like he can't figure out if that means it sucked or just that Minseok is avoiding his question. Minseok laughs after letting him stew for a moment, and Chanyeol pouts.

"Seriously, though, how was it?" Junmyeon asks. He and Baekhyun and Zitao are all out in the common area, and then Sehun and Jongin emerge to see what's going on.

"It was okay," Minseok says honestly. "Nice. We had a good dinner."

"That's your priority?" He turns to see a smiling Jongdae and a much-less-cheerful Lu Han. "Come on, we want to know all the gossip about Heechul."

"You realize we're not actually dating, right?" Minseok asks.

"Doesn't mean you don't have gossip to share," Jongdae retorts, unfazed.

Minseok searches for something interesting to report, but comes up empty. They talked a lot, but somehow he doesn't feel like he learned a lot about Heechul, besides that he's funny and does what he wants when at all possible. "Maybe next time," he says.

"You're no fun," Jongdae grumbles, but he doesn't push.

There are a few more questions, but when it becomes clear that he really doesn't have that much to say, attention turns elsewhere. Minseok slips out to take a shower, and he's just finished getting dressed when there's a knock on the door. It opens before he says anything, and Lu Han steps in. "Hi," he says. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Minseok says. They sit together on his bed, and he's half expecting another tense conversation like after his first meeting with Heechul, but Lu Han just smiles and starts telling him about the ridiculous things that happened in the dorm while he was gone. It's easy and comfortable the way things should be between them, and they pass the time chatting until it's time to sleep.

"Goodnight," Lu Han says, getting to his feet, and for no good reason, Minseok recalls his earlier goodnight to Heechul. He did have a nice enough time with Heechul, but this is a lot nicer, a lot more comfortable.

"Goodnight," he echoes, and smiles as he watches Lu Han go.

 

They film the second episode before the first airs, which is supposed to be a more "intimate" (in the director's words) date than the first one, in an apartment that isn't actually Heechul's but looks like it could be, maybe. There are cooking challenges for both of them, and Heechul burns dinner and Minseok's cake falls apart when they try to cut it. They're allowed to order food to replace the ruined dinner, but they eat the cake anyway, making a mess that Minseok is glad he won't have to clean up.

Sitting at the table afterward, watching Heechul lick chocolate frosting off his hand in a way that will probably have to be edited out, Minseok finds himself thinking that this is nice. Not Heechul, really, because while they're having fun, their relationship remains entirely fake, but this kind of domestic moment. He's old enough that if he wasn't an idol, he might have experienced something like this. As it is, it's not likely to happen for a long time, but it's nice to imagine, anyway.

It's a fade to black ending, so he doesn't have to worry about awkward goodbyes this time, just echoing Heechul's "See you soon," before they separate to film their confessionals. "I like that Heechul-hyung isn't concerned about appearances," he tells the camera. "He's very much himself even if people might judge him for it. I'd like to learn from him to be more like that." He's being honest, but it's hard to imagine himself being much at all like Heechul.

When he gets home, he tells the curious EXO members, "We got take-out because Heechul-hyung burned dinner, and I made a crumbly cake and we got chocolate frosting everywhere."

"That sounds like the start of a bad porno," Baekhyun comments.

"He only licked it off himself, not me," Minseok says before he realizes how it sounds, earning quite a few pairs of raised eyebrows and an "Eh?!" from Jongin. "Off his hands," he adds quickly, embarrassed. "Don't get any weird ideas."

That gets a good laugh, more for his reaction than anything else. The others want to know more, but he tells them they'll have to wait until the episode airs, as if there's anything exciting to look forward to.

He's walking away when Yixing catches his arm. He smiles, dimple showing, and says, "You have frosting here," tapping the side of Minseok's neck. Then he drops his arm and adds, "You look happy."

"Do I?" he asks. "Must be the sugar high."

Yixing smiles a little wider and manages to look unconvinced at the same time. "Maybe," he says, then shrugs. "I'm glad you're having fun."

Minseok returns the smile and doesn't think too much of it, because whatever else can be said, he is having fun.

 

They're working when the first episode airs, but to Minseok's chagrin, they're given a tape to watch later. He'd rather make himself scarce, but Lu Han drags him over to the couch and he ends up sandwiched between Lu Han and Baekhyun, with Junmyeon leaning on his legs. He's not sure if they're trying to trap him there or if it's just the usual lack of space, but either way, he's stuck for the duration of the episode. 

He's already seen the footage and he knows there's nothing too embarrassing in it, but watching with EXO is a very different experience. Whereas the studio audience laughed with them and squealed over the more romantic-looking moments, the EXO members laugh _at_ them. Even Lu Han laughs hard enough at Minseok stumbling over his words that Minseok elbows him in the ribs. That's a relief, in the midst of his annoyance, that Lu Han seems to have gotten over his disapproval.

It seems like it, anyway, until they get to the goodbye. That hug is nothing to be embarrassed about, but it doesn't stop everyone from catcalling and otherwise being obnoxious about it. Everyone, that is, except Lu Han, Minseok realizes after a moment. He's frowning slightly, and he looks confused more than anything else, but sometimes that's just how Lu Han's face is. Minseok elbows him again because something about this seems weird, and Lu Han yelps in surprise, then turns to glare when everyone laughs at him.

By the time the laughter has died down, the show is over, and Minseok breathes a sigh of relief. He answers a few questions before Kris comes to his rescue and says, "We'll have to wait for the next episode to see what happens like everyone else. Go to sleep."

The crowd slowly disperses and Minseok can finally get up. Lu Han is still sitting on the couch, so he hesitates, turning to look at his friend. He's not sure if he should say anything, but he doesn't like not knowing what Lu Han's thinking, so he says, "You're being weird."

"Eh?" Lu Han looks up in surprise, like he hadn't realized Minseok was still there, but quickly looks down again. "Oh," he says. "Sorry."

"Do you still think I shouldn't be doing this?" Minseok asks. "You've seen what it is now. It's not like we're making out on national television." Lu Han frowns at that and Minseok pushes down a flash of anger. "Is that the problem? Not my reputation but that you think it's gross or wrong or something." He'd like to expect better from Lu Han, but maybe there's a reason they've only ever talked about his crushes on girls.

"What? No, it's—" Lu Han breaks off, looking for words. "Even if you did make out with a guy on national television, I wouldn't..." He looks up at Minseok with wide, serious eyes and his anger dissipates in an instant.

"Then what's the problem?" he asks.

"It's just...you're different with him," Lu Han says quietly.

"Well, yeah, but..." He doesn't know what to say to that. Why wouldn't he be different? None of his other friends are anything like Heechul. "It's just a show. If you're worried about being replaced as my friend, you don't need to be." He tries to laugh at that, but Lu Han barely smiles.

"Sorry," Lu Han says again. "I'll stop being weird. I'm glad you're having fun." He smiles wider, but it looks stiff, and the words don't sound anything like when Yixing said them.

"Let's go to bed," Minseok says, offering Lu Han a hand up, because he's tired and he doesn't understand what's going on and there doesn't seem to be any point in talking about it more. Lu Han takes his hand and lets Minseok pull him up, and Minseok gives his hand a reassuring squeeze before he lets go. Then Lu Han smiles, small but real, and Minseok tells himself that whatever this is about, it'll be fine.

 

For their third appearance, they go to the beach and Heechul gets sunburned and complains about it bitterly the whole way back to Seoul. Episode four involves doing stupid things at an amusement park, episode five is completely unsubtle product placement shopping in a mall, and for episode six, various Super Junior members appear and suggest weird ways for Heechul to pay Minseok compliments, not even pretending not to laugh as Heechul tries to get around their demands and Minseok blushes at the strange compliments.

They're still not entirely comfortable, because they don't know each other all that well yet, and the age and experience gap still exists between them, but Minseok doesn't feel as nervous before filming, and he laughs more openly, even occasionally at Heechul. He speaks up a little more instead of depending on Heechul to keep things going, earning the director's approval. "We'll make a variety star of you yet," he says, and Minseok doesn't really believe him, but it feels good all the same.

Many of the EXO members get bored of teasing him, but Chanyeol still insists on asking him for gossip whenever he gets back from filming, and Jongdae and Baekhyun can always be counted on to bring up any embarrassing moments in the episodes repeatedly. They still all watch together, despite Minseok's repeated attempts to to get out of it, and it only gets more embarrassing, but there's a part of him that enjoys being the center of attention, even if it's this kind of attention. And it feels good when Sehun says, "I've never seen you talk so much on TV. You should do it more," or Junmyeon comments, "It's nice to see you looking more confident."

And the staff (as well as the members who like looking up their names) inform him that his popularity is rising. Their are negative reactions too, of course, but a lot more people know his name than did before, and many of them have good things to say about him. He wouldn't mind if fewer of the comments were along the lines of "He's so cute!" but it's still nice to be noticed.

The airing of episode six finds Minseok squished between Lu Han and the arm of the couch, for a change, knowing he's going to want a corner to hide in for this one. He'd rather not be next to Lu Han for this either, even if he's been fine since the first episode, but his attempts to hide next to Kris were thwarted by Zitao, and he thinks Lu Han would probably be insulted if he sat anywhere else.

As expected, the mocking goes into overdrive as soon as soon as it's revealed what Heechul will be doing. Minseok tries but fails to sink into the couch cushions to avoid the inevitable embarrassment, and Lu Han laughs and tugs him up by the back of his shirt.

Compliment number one is, "You look cute with chocolate frosting on your face," which earns a bunch of innuendo that doesn't stop until Kyungsoo snaps, "Shh, I can't hear." Number two is, "You're good at remembering to put sunscreen on yourself but not on me." The third is, "I like how you say good things about me to the confessional cameras," which gets a good laugh and some comments about Heechul's self-centeredness that none of them would ever dare to say to his face.

Number four is, "I hear your hip rolls are sexy," which gets catcalls and a "Wow, I'm surprised they kept that in," from Junmyeon. Then comes, "I like how you laugh at my jokes," and when Kyuhyun refuses to let Heechul get away with that, it's followed by, "And your laugh is cute" (more catcalls). Sixth is, "You have a high tolerance for stupidity," which makes Chanyeol ask, "Should we be insulted?" Number seven is, "You also look cute while eating chocolate frosting" (Minseok tunes out the comments on that), and finally, more sincere than the rest, "You're open-minded and patient and you steadily do the work that's put in front of you without complaining. I think that's very admirable."

"Aww," Chanyeol says loudly, and several others chime in with similar comments. Minseok attempts to disappear again, his ears burning. He looks just as embarrassed on screen, surprised by the serious compliment in the midst of all the silly and insincere ones.

There's a cut to commercial, and as the others chatter around them, Lu Han quietly says, "He's right." Minseok looks at him in surprise, because Lu Han's free with physical affection, but not with compliments. Lu Han smiles sheepishly at him and gives a little shrug. "I guess he's gotten to know you pretty well, huh?"

"I guess," Minseok says, still thinking about Lu Han's unexpected comment. It was nice, if embarrassing, to hear that from Heechul, but he didn't think too much of it. It means more coming from Lu Han, even if he's only agreeing with what someone else said.

Then Jongdae cuts in to say, "I didn't know you could blush like that, hyung. We'll have to work harder on embarrassing you," and the moment is broken.

After the commercials, there's a short but embarrassing segment of Heechul and Minseok's comments on the compliments, and then back to the scene just long enough for Kyuhyun to make them hug. Heechul complained a lot at the time, more to be annoying than because he really didn't want to, Minseok thought, but most of that's been cut out, leaving only a token complaint and a hug that seems to last longer than Minseok remembers it did.

Then it's on to another couple, and Kyungsoo turns the TV off so there's nothing to get in the way of their mocking of Minseok. "That's so sweet," Baekhyun says, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"And so romantic, that hug," Chanyeol adds, pretending to swoon.

If they get going, this will never end, so Minseok stands up and says, "Didn't we promise to go to practice as soon as this was over?"

"You're so _responsible,_ " Baekhyun croons. Minseok is glad Kyungsoo hits him so he doesn't have to.

 

The next time Minseok goes in for filming, the director sits them down and says, "We weren't sure what to expect, but so far the response to your relationship has been largely positive, or at least neutral. Given that, we'd like to turn things up a notch, have you act a little more couple-y."

"What does that mean?" Heechul asks.

"Nothing extreme," the director hurries to say. "Just, you know, sitting and walking closer together, maybe some hand holding. Casual physical contact. Is that okay with you?"

"Have you ever seen idols on stage?" Heechul asks dryly. When the director doesn't look amused, he says, "Yes, that's fine." Minseok nods his agreement.

After, while they're waiting for the camera crew to finish setting up, Heechul comments, "Funny how he thought we might have a problem touching, like he's never heard of fanservice, never mind how touchy some people get off camera." Then he catches Minseok's eye and asks, after a beat, "You don't, right? Have a problem with it."

"One of the EXO members likes to get in my bed to cuddle when he gets homesick," Minseok tells him, which he thinks is answer enough.

Heechul laughs at that. "That's what I thought. Is that...what's his name, the one they like to pair you with?" When Minseok gives him a questioning look, he explains, "I looked you up. A ton of what popped up was you with the same guy. Is that him, the cuddler?"

Minseok shakes his head. "The cuddler is Zitao, EXO-M's maknae. Lu Han prefers to touch me in public." He stops and thinks about that and adds, "Or not in public. He's very clingy." It feels a little weird talking about this with Heechul, but it's not like Minseok doesn't know what the fans think about him and Lu Han, and he's sure Heechul's experienced the same and worse.

"I see," Heechul says with a bit of a smirk. "I wonder if your fans are plotting my death now."

"Probably." Heechul laughs, but before he can say anything, the director calls them over to start.

It's weird, once they start, because while Minseok may be comfortable with EXO members or his other friends being all over him, he can't really call Heechul a friend. They're not even touching that much, really, but he has to remind himself to relax when Heechul casually leans on his shoulder or comes up too close behind him to look at something. But nobody stops them, so he has to assume that he's doing well enough.

Just when he's getting used to things, Heechul suddenly grabs his hand to drag him over to their next destination, and holds on for much longer than is at all necessary. Minseok is afraid he might be blushing, which is stupid because it's just holding hands, but even ignoring who it is that's holding his hand, it's different knowing that this handholding will be broadcast across the country and far too many people will read too much into it. He doesn't now if there are people who actually think this is real, but he's sure there are people who want it to be.

He's relieved when they finish for the day, and then surprised when Heechul gives him a slightly-stronger-than-friendly shove. "Relax," he says with a roll of his eyes. "I thought you said you were cool with touching."

"I am," Minseok assures him. He doesn't mind, really, but maybe it makes more of a difference than he thought who it is he's touching, or maybe he's just more aware than usual of what people will be reading into those touches.

"It's only going to get worse from here on out," Heechul adds cheerfully. "Unless the audience freaks out when this episode airs, I guess. What are you going to do if they tell us to kiss?" He laughs at the way Minseok's eyes widen. "I'm just saying, go with it. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, right?"

"Right," Minseok agrees, but for some reason he remembers Lu Han saying, "You're different with him..."

 

They film another episode's worth of footage before that one airs, and by the end Minseok's probably as comfortable with the touchiness as he's going to get, unless he and Heechul somehow manage to become good friends. They don't take it any further yet, but he doesn't doubt that if the reaction is good, the director will want more. There's no point in thinking about it, though; he'll just have to wait and see.

Minseok is less than excited when EXO sits down to watch that episode, but as usual, they won't let him get out of it. He hasn't mentioned the progression of their "relationship" to anyone and he's not sure what the reaction will be, aside from the inevitable teasing. He manages to snag a seat between Kyungsoo and the arm of the couch this time, which is probably as safe as he's going to get.

He's glad he has a corner to hide in when the episode starts. It seems like his parts have been edited down to all the touchiest moments, so it looks like they were all over each other (or, more accurately, like Heechul was all over him). It's still not that much by fanservice standards, but a lot more than in previous episodes. Baekhyun whistles and Chanyeol says, "You get it, hyung!" and Minseok hates his life. Even Kyungsoo flashes an amused grin at him, the traitor.

At the first commercial break, all attention turns on him. "That was different," Junmyeon says blandly, but he can't hide a smile.

"They decided that since the audience response has been pretty good, we should..." Minseok gestures at the screen by way of explanation.

"Act like you're actually dating instead of just awkwardly hanging around each other?" Jongdae supplies helpfully.

"Yeah, that," Minseok says, though he wants to ask if they were really that awkward before.

"How was it?" Jongin asks. "You looked a little panicked."

"It's just fanservice," Minseok says. He catches Lu Han looking at him from the other end of the couch and finds himself giving an almost apologetic shrug. "I was just a little nervous because he's..."

"Kim Heechul?" Chanyeol offers.

"Exactly."

"But—" Baekhyun starts, and Minseok is relieved when the show starts again and the others shush him.

They get herded off to dance practice the second the show ends (he suspects that the only reason some of the members still insist on watching is because it gives them a break from practices), sparing Minseok any further annoying questions. New choreography demands his attention and keeps him from thinking about anything else until they call it a night and start to head back to the dorm.

Minseok is about to follow the others when someone grabs his arm, and he turns to see Lu Han with two bottles of juice, one of which he hands over. "Let's hang around a little longer?" he says, more of a question than his usual demands for Minseok's attention.

They sit on the dance room floor, and Minseok takes a drink and doesn't say anything. Lu Han does too, but after a while, he says, "You're a lot busier now that you've got filming. Seems like we haven't had time to hang out in a while."

"Yeah," Minseok agrees. Then, "Sorry," even though they both know it's not his choice.

"Is it fun?" Lu Han asks. "You did look kind of panicked this time, but it seems like you get to do some cool stuff."

"I guess," Minseok says. "I get nervous without, you know, at least five other guys to hide behind, but I'm getting used to it."

"And the company?" He says it casually, but not without watching Minseok out of the corner of his eye.

"Not bad." Minseok shrugs. "Heechul-hyung is funny, so we have a good time. I'd probably bore everyone without him."

"Probably," Lu Han agrees, and Minseok kicks him, earning a wide grin in response.

Minseok smiles back, but then Lu Han's smile turns stiff and he frowns instead. "You've been acting strange with me lately," he starts to say, even though it's probably better to leave it alone, "and you said it's not because you have a problem with this whole gay fake marriage thing, so I don't know why.

"Sorry," Lu Han says. "I don't know why either." He's not meeting Minseok's eyes and it's hard to believe he's telling the truth.

"Are you jealous?" Minseok asks, trying to figure it out. "Because I get to do this."

"No, no, I'm happy for you," Lu Han quickly assures him.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know," Lu Han insists. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

He is worried about it, because there's never been anything Lu Han wouldn't talk to him about before, but he doesn't want to try to force it out of him, so he just says, "Fine, but stop it already."

"I will," Lu Han says, but Minseok doesn't think he sounds very convincing.

 

At Minseok's next We Got Married shoot, no one will tell him what's going to happen, which has him worried. The fact that Heechul's not complaining makes Minseok think he does know what's coming, which is more reason to worry, since the surprise is all on him. He has his suspicions, given the theme of the show, but he has no idea how it'll play out.

For this episode, they're told to write songs for each other, which makes Minseok cringe inwardly. He's never written sappy song lyrics for anyone, let alone someone he doesn't actually have sappy feelings for. How is he going to do this? And, perhaps more importantly, how is he going to get through other people watching it with his dignity remotely intact?

They do some silly games to "help" them and in the end Minseok manages to write something half joking and half genuine about Heechul making him laugh and about his stubborn individuality and hopes he won't regret taking it at all seriously later. He and Heechul present each other with their lyrics and then they're sent to separate rooms to read them.

When he opens the folder Heechul gave him, he finds a page of completely nonsensical song lyrics, and promptly feels embarrassed about his efforts. It takes him a moment to realize that there's something written on the back of the page, and he flips it over.

_I should probably write something sentimental here about how great you are,_ it says, but that would be sappy and gross and you should know that me voluntarily talking to you means I think you're pretty cool, so there's no need for more. What I'm saying is that we've been having fun together, and since it's come this far, I hope you'll agree to marry me.

Minseok stares at the page. He suspected it was coming, but now that it's here, he doesn't know how to respond. What's the appropriate reaction to a completely unromantic proposal of fake marriage? He looks up to find Heechul standing in the doorway, a wry smile on his face. "Don't leave me hanging," he says.

"That's probably the least romantic proposal ever," Minseok says, stalling.

"Say yes anyway," Heechul shoots back.

"Yes. Of course yes." Under different circumstances, it might be a touching answer. As it is, Minseok feels silly, but hopefully it's enough.

Heechul's smile widens, and he says, "I'll take it." Then, "But just to be clear, neither of us is wearing a wedding dress."

Minseok laughs, because it's unexpected and because it's not that hard to picture Heechul actually wearing a wedding dress, and then the director says, "Cut. That's a good place to stop."

"Good," Heechul says, leaning against the door frame, "because I'm not sealing the deal with a kiss."

"No kissing, please," the director says. "At least not until we've worked up to it."

Minseok does a doubletake at that, but decides it's better not to say anything. It's not like anyone much cares what he thinks, and anyway, it's not like he finds the idea of kissing a guy completely horrifying. Besides, he doubts it'll happen; that would be a little too much for the viewing public to handle.

When he gets back to the dorm that night, Chanyeol asks him what happened as usual, with the smile of a gossiping schoolgirl. "I got proposed to," Minseok tells him casually.

"Oooooh, did you say yes?" Chanyeol asks. His eyes are wide and Minseok's thinks he's joking, but he's not entirely sure.

"The title of the show is We Got Married..." he points out by way of answer, and Chanyeol laughs.

"How romantic. When's the wedding?"

"I have no idea, but I bet you'll be invited." It's hard to imagine a wedding with even a fraction of the EXO and Super Junior in attendance, but on the other hand, an episode like that would bring in killer ratings, so he might as well start bracing himself for it now.

"Yay!" Chanyeol says before hurrying off to probably tell everyone else about it. Minseok warily watches him go, wondering just how much more embarrassing his life is going to get before this is over.

 

They kill three weeks with wedding preparation and other silliness, and a mere month later, Minseok finds himself getting ready to pretend to marry another man on national television. When he dreamed of becoming an idol, this is decidedly not what he thought it would be like. On the other hand, as EXO's manager informs him in no uncertain terms, this is probably the biggest chance of his career to get people to notice him, so he'd better not waste it. In light of that, he's more than a little nervous, which at least has the benefit of making him think less about the embarrassment factor.

The EXO members and the staff (as well as most of the attending Super Junior members, which is both great and slightly terrifying) wish him good luck with varying degrees of sincerity and mocking, and Heechul says, "Relax. We'll be fabulous and everyone will love us," and then it's time.

The entire ceremony is ridiculous and over-the-top and embarrassing and best never spoken of again, but Minseok can only hope that it's edited into something that makes him look good. It'll probably need a great deal of editing, considering the number of times the assembled guests cracked up, to the exasperation of the crew, but Minseok was glad for the relaxed atmosphere.

He's also very glad to have the excuse to run away after to film his confessional scenes while the others clear out, even if he knows he'll hear all about it later. He's just finished changing out of his tux to go home when there's a knock on the door and Heechul comes in. "Do you have time for a drink?" he asks. "I think we deserve it after that."

Minseok looks to his manager for approval and gets a "Go ahead. Just remember we've got an early morning tomorrow."

They go to some restaurant Heechul seems to know and get a small but private room. "You're living the high life now," Heechul jokes as he orders way more alcohol than Minseok thinks they need.

"Was it that terrible?" Minseok asks, and when Heechul looks confused, he explains, "The wedding. Because you want to drink that much, I mean."

He sounds awkward by the end and Heechul laughs probably more at that than at his attempted joke. "No offense," he says. "But if I do get married someday, I think I'd want there to be a lot fewer people involved. And no cameras. Even if I do look great in a tux." Minseok laughs politely, and Heechul makes a face. "What about you?" he asks. "Do you want to get married?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Minseok says truthfully. He's not so young that it would be strange for him to get married, but being an idol, it probably won't happen any time in the near future. And even if he wasn't an idol, he's not so sure he'd be dating people he _could_ marry, so he hasn't given it much thought.

"Ah, right, you're really young." Heechul pauses when a waitress comes in with the alcohol. Minseok pours it and they both take a drink before Heechul continues, with a slightly-unnerving gleam in his eye, "There's no one like that, though? No one to get jealous of this thing we've got going?"

"No one," Minseok says. "Who has time for dating?" It's the truth, but for some reason he finds himself thinking of Lu Han. He may not have a jealous girlfriend (or boyfriend), but he does have someone pestering him like one.

"What?" Heechul prods, looking dangerously eager for gossip.

"Nothing," Minseok says and pours him another drink.

 

Minseok is woken up after not nearly enough hours by Tao shaking his shoulder and saying, "Wake up or you won't get any breakfast."

He'd rather sleep more than eat breakfast at this point, but he groggily drags himself out of bed and into his clothes and makes his way out to where the other members are eating. He immediately regrets it when at least four voices ask him where he was the night before. "I got a drink with Heechul-hyung," he mumbles, which only makes the noise increase. He rubs a hand over his eyes.

"He can tell us about it later," he hears Junmyeon say when they hubbub doesn't die down on its own, and then a glass of water is pressed into his hand. "Did you drink that much?" Junymeon asks him, in a sympathetically soft voice.

"I'm just tired," Minseok says, reluctantly opening his eyes again. "I got home really late."

"And you had a long day yesterday, what with the getting married and all," Junmyeon teases lightly.

"Don't remind me," Minseok says. Junmyeon turns his attention to other things, and thankfully no one bothers him for the time it takes him to down the glass of water and eat the food shoved in front of him when it's gone.

 

Not surprisingly, his luck doesn't last the full day. When they break for lunch, after the usual complaining about the choreography and mocking the members who are terrible at it, a smirking Baekhyun turns to him and says, "So, tell us about your date."

"It wasn't a date," he says automatically, even though he knows arguing is futile. "We just went to get a drink to celebrate making it through the day."

"Are you telling me you didn't enjoy your wedding?" Jongdae teases.

"Sure, I loved you guys laughing at me for half the ceremony and trying to embarrass me for the other half," Minseok says dryly.

Judging from Jongdae's wide grin, he's not the least bit sorry. "Poor baby," he says, and Minseok drops down in his seat so he can reach to kick him under the table.

"You didn't look like you minded that much," comes a voice right next to him as he sits back up. He turns to glare at Lu Han to say "You traitor," but Lu Han isn't joking. "I mean, you looked like you were having fun." Minseok's surprised by the comment, but it's not entirely untrue. It was fun, in an occasionally humiliating kind of way.

"It's fun to be the center of attention, huh?" Kris comments.

That Minseok can't argue with. He's willing to let others take the spotlight most of the time, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy it when he gets the chance to shine. If having an embarrassing fake wedding ceremony while all of EXO and a significant percentage of Super Junior laughs at him can be considered shining. "It is," he agrees. "But don't get any weird ideas."

"But you make such a cute couple," Baekhyun coos.

"I'm glad you think so," Minseok says airily, enjoying Baekhyun's doubletake when he doesn't get the expected glare in response, and the laughter that follows it. Maybe he's learned a thing or two from Heechul.

They're almost finished eating by the time the conversation moves on to other topics, and that's when he notices that Lu Han is once again strangely quiet beside him. He kicks him under the table and Lu Han jumps and then pouts at him, which makes Minseok chuckle. "What are you doing staring off into space when you could be making fun of me?" he teases.

"Just thinking," Lu Han says. "I've been known to do that sometimes." It can't be anything too serious if he's joking around, Minseok thinks.

"Dreaming about your own wedding?" Minseok asks, and he has to laugh at the "What the hell?" look Lu Han gives him.

But then Lu Han turns serious again and says, "I was thinking that it seems like you've gotten braver the last few months, and that I should learn from that."

Minseok's first impulse is to reassure Lu Han that he's plenty brave, but the truth is, they do both still have a thing or two to learn about confidence and putting themselves out there. There's a lot he admires about Lu Han, but they are who they are. He settles for patting Lu Han on the back and saying "Fighting!" in a way that's just joking enough not to be embarrassing.

Lu Han smiles very faintly, and looks at him thoughtfully for a moment before he answers with a firm nod.

 

They're as busy as ever, which doesn't leave Minseok time to think about Lu Han's moodiness or the impending broadcast of the wedding episode or anything besides choreography and interviews and recording and trying to keep his eyes open through too-long days. Three days later, they finish an evening practice session a bit early, and Minseok is planning to join the others in heading back to the dorm to relax when Yixing pulls him aside.

"What's up?" he asks curiously, Yixing's blank expression not giving him any clue about what he wants.

"Hang on," Yixing says. Kris pauses in his conversation with Chanyeol to give them a questioning look, but Yixing waves him off and he shrugs and leaves, the last one out the door.

Now Minseok is totally confused, and he stays that way as Yixing goes over to his bag and starts digging through it. It doesn't take him long to find what he wants, pulling out a folder much like the one the marriage proposal came in and handing it over, saying, "Here."

"What is it?" Minseok asks.

Yixing gives a shrug that Minseok suspects means "I'm not going to tell you" more than "I don't know" and then leaves him alone. He opens the folder to find a single sheet of paper filled with what he immediately recognizes as Lu Han's careful Korean, confirmed by his name in sloppy characters at the bottom. Confused and curious, he starts to read.

_I wanted to tell you this in person every time you asked me why I was acting weird, but I guess I'm a coward when it comes to these things. It was probably obvious, but I wasn't telling the truth when I said I didn't know why I was acting like that. The truth is, you were right when you asked if I was jealous. I am jealous, but not for the reason you thought. I'm jealous because someone else gets to go on dates with you and hold your hand like it's nothing, because those are things I want to do with you._

_The thing is, I like you. I think maybe I have for a while, but I didn't realize it until this show started, partly because of the jealousy and partly because of how much I missed you when you weren't around all the time. You've become very important to me, and now I realize just how much._

_If you don't want to talk about this, I understand. It's not like having a fake relationship with a guy means you'd be okay with it in real life. But I thought I owed you an explanation. I'm sorry it took so long and I'm sorry I haven't been more of a supportive friend. I'll try harder from now on._

Minseok stares at the letter much like he did the proposal one, but for very different reasons. Part of him is completely in shock, but a much bigger part of him thinks he's an idiot for not figuring it out himself. He never read anything beyond friendship into Lu Han's clinginess, and maybe it wasn't anything more than that before, but all of Lu Han's behavior over the last few months makes perfect sense in light of this. The way he's been running hot and cold, his reaction to Minseok talking about making out on TV, the way he commented on Minseok being different with Heechul. Of course it makes sense that he was jealous and unable to express it because he didn't have any claim on Minseok.

The question now is what he's going to do about it. Lu Han said they don't have to talk about it, but he can't imagine letting something so big sit untouched between them. He needs to give some kind of response, but what does he want to say? The issue of whether he'd be okay with a real relationship with a guy is something he's already dealt with, even if Lu Han doesn't know about it. The real question is, how does he feel about a possible relationship with Lu Han?

He thinks about Lu Han, about his big dumb laugh and his wide smile, about his voice when he whispers in Minseok's ear and about the way _bao zi_ sounds like an endearment on his lips. He thinks about how Lu Han makes him laugh and how he always listens intently when Minseok talks, and about the warmth of his hands and chest and cheek when he touches Minseok at every available opportunity, and how Minseok always lets him do it. He remembers how he thought of Lu Han when Heechul said it didn't matter what anyone thought if they kissed, and even when he asked about getting married, and he wonders if maybe he's been an idiot about his feelings for Lu Han too.

It all feels a little too big and scary, like the world has tilted on its axis and he just might fall off if he's not careful. The thought of going to talk to Lu Han makes him nervous, like that will make it real, but Lu Han was brave enough to finally confess and now it's his turn. He'll just have to hope that he really has gotten braver.

He finds Lu Han back at the dorm, thankfully alone in his room. Lu Han looks up when he comes in, and bites his lip when Minseok closes the door behind him, obviously nervous. "Hi," he says, so uncertainly it's almost a question.

Minseok crosses the room and stands in front of Lu Han's bed. "I got your letter," he says. Lu Han looks at him, and Minseok sees nervousness and hope and other things that are harder to read in his gaze before he drops his eyes. "I..." He pauses and frowns, wishing he'd thought more about what to say before coming here. "You could've told me," he finally finishes, which isn't what he should be saying at all, even if it is true.

"I know," Lu Han says quietly, still looking down. "I should have. But like I said, I'm a coward."

"That's okay," Minseok tells him. "I'm an idiot." Now Lu Han looks at him again, wearing that stupid expression he gets when he's confused. "I should have realized," Minseok continues. "I should have realized why you were acting like that. And I should have realized that I..." He hesitates again, taking a deep breath to calm the beating of his pounding heart. "That I like you too. Maybe I have for a while."

Lu Han's expression morphs into disbelief as he continues to stare. "You...really? But I thought you were... You never told me..."

"Yeah, well, you never told me you swing that way either," Minseok shoots back. He can't help smiling now that the hardest part is over, and because Lu Han is cute when he's incredibly confused. "But I thought you were convinced I was into Heechul-hyung."

"I..." Lu Han pulls a wry face. "I don't know what I thought. It's been a confusing couple of months." Seeing the expression on Minseok's face, he slowly, hesitantly starts to smile. "So..." He gets to his feet and stands uncertainly in front of Minseok.

Minseok takes a step closer to him and reaches a hand up to the side of Lu Han's neck, sliding slowly up to his jaw, feeling silly for his hesitation given how much they normally touch each other. But Lu Han leans into the touch and that gives Minseok the confidence to lean forward and kiss him, a light press of lips that quickly progresses to more.

Any doubt he might have had evaporates in an instant at the feel of Lu Han's lips on his, his arms quickly wrapping tight around Minseok's back to pull him as close as he can. They fit together so perfectly he can only wonder why it took them this long to get here. They kiss until they're flushed and breathless, but finally, with great reluctance, Minseok pulls back enough to say, "We probably shouldn't..."

Lu Han's eyes are unfocused and it takes him a moment to blink and say, "What?"

"Anyone could come in," Minseok says, but his hands are still on Lu Han's shoulders and he doesn't pull out of Lu Han's hold, his responsible side warring with how much he wants to keep kissing Lu Han.

"Let them," Lu Han says. His voice is low and it sends a shiver through Minseok.

"But..." Minseok's finding it hard to remember why that would be a problem.

But then Lu Han sighs and gives him one more brief kiss before letting go. He sits on his bed and motions for Minseok to join him. He still looks a little dazed, and then he licks his lips and Minseok's self-control almost runs for the hills, but he manages to hold on, barely. He sits next to Lu Han, pressed up against his side.

"This is going to be complicated," Lu Han says. His hand comes to rest on the bed behind Minseok's back so his arm is almost wrapped around him. "People won't accept a real relationship the way they did your fake one."

"I know," Minseok says. There's no guarantee the other members will take this in stride the way they did everything with Heechul, to say nothing of the fans and the general public. There's no doubt that it'll mean a lot of hiding and worrying and pretending. But he wouldn't have thought people would even accept a fake gay relationship, so maybe there's hope yet.

"And I'll have you know that I'm an extremely needy boyfriend," Lu Han continues, leaning against him a little more.

"You're an extremely needy friend," Minseok teases, but without much heat because he's still stuck on the word "boyfriend," a stupid smile growing on his face.

"But you love me anyway," Lu Han jokes, but then Minseok feels him tense because a joke like that takes on a whole different meaning now. He loves Lu Han as a friend, for sure, but like this, it's more complicated. And yet, maybe it's not so far from the truth. There's a long pause and then Lu Han opens his mouth, probably to take it back, but Minseok gets there first.

"Maybe I do," he says. Lu Han turns to him with disbelief written all over his face and Minseok quickly says, "Maybe. I'm not in a hurry to jump into that love and marriage stuff again."

Then Lu Han abruptly pulls away to punch him hard in the arm, but he's laughing and so is Minseok. "Maybe someday," Lu Han says, still laughing. "You do look good in a tux."

Minseok smiles at him and Lu Han grins in return, and "maybe" is such an uncertain word, but he thinks he can't wait to see where it takes them. "Maybe someday," he agrees.

 

**Epilogue**

 

There's a break in filming, and a week after the wedding episode airs, Minseok gets called in to a meeting. Heechul is already waiting and he gives a lazy wave. Minseok nods a greeting at him and takes a seat.

"The response to your wedding episode has been quite positive," a manager tells them, wasting no time in getting started, "but upon reflection, we've decided to end your appearance here."

"Aww, but we were having so much fun," Heechul says, and Minseok can't for the life of him figure out if he's serious.

"The ratings have been good recently, but it seems better to quit while we're ahead instead of taking the risk of going farther than the audience is comfortable with," the manager continues. "We're going to film an interview with both of you reflecting on your relationship and that will air this week, and we'll leave it at that."

They're briefed on the interview questions and given some "suggestions" of what their answers should be, then made presentable and shoved in front of the cameras.

The questions are pretty standard stuff. What have you learned from your experience, did you have fun, were you surprised at the reaction, was there anything that was difficult, did you enjoy the wedding. Minseok's answers are part honest and part diplomatic, and he thinks he manages to do okay except for a couple times when Heechul startles him with a joke and he gets tongue tied.

Finally, they reach the end of the question list, but the interviewer says she has one more question for them. "Is there anything you'd like to say to each other?"

Minseok goes a little deer in the headlights, glancing nervously at Heechul, but the interviewer tells him to go first so there's nothing to be done about it. "I, umm..." he starts uncertainly. Hopefully they'll edit that part out. "I want to thank you for making this fun and keeping the atmosphere relaxed. I'm sorry I was so awkward at first but I hope I got better in the end. I, uh..." He hesitates, not sure he wants to say this, but in the end he continues, "A good friend told me that I've gotten braver in the last few months, and I think I think I learned some of that from you. So, uh, thank you." He smiles sheepishly, catching Heechul's amused look, but even if he's self-conscious about saying it to Heechul's face, it's nothing that isn't true.

When it's Heechul's turn, he gives Minseok a long, thoughtful look that makes him want to squirm before finally saying, deadpan, "After all this, do you really expect me to say something touching now?" That startles a laugh out of Minseok, and Heechul looks smug. Minseok's not sure he's going to get anything more than that, but then Heechul adds, "Really, though, it was fun. You're a pretty cool guy and that friend of yours is probably right. So keep on trying to be more like me, okay?" He makes a face, a little amused and a little self-deprecating. "And when you do get married someday, you should invite me. I'll give a great speech about how I did it first."

The image pops into Minseok's head of him standing at the altar with Lu Han while Heechul offers an incredibly embarrassing and self-centered toast as the other EXO members fall over laughing, and he's glad no one asks him why he's grinning so widely.


End file.
